Tranquillity (Story)
:"‘Tranquillity is a utopia,’ she said, quietly but firmly, ‘And it welcomes you with open arms.’" Tranquillity is a short story in the intermission of The Yellow Butterflies. It depicts a journalist's experiences on the eponymous micronation. A PDF of the story's first draft can be found here. The following sections may contain spoilers. Proceed at your own risk. Plot Summary An unnamed journalist - the narrator - is invited to be one of the first journalists to visit the micronation of Tranquillity. They report it to be a strange place, though appealing, and they're slightly confused by the odd behaviour of the President. Later, they see a funeral car pass by, and watch the President give a speech on television. The narrator finds out more from a later discussion with the President, after walking in on her having muscle relaxant injected into her jaw - a young gay man was stabbed to death in a bar. She becomes increasingly insistent that this is abnormal for Tranquillity, and that it is a perfect place, until the journalist finally leaves. The next time the narrator sees Madam President, she is anxiously pacing in the gardens. Eventually, they manage to get her to explain the source of her worries - primarily that her police caught a white supremacist group that was about to cause a massacre in the city square. Although the narrator asserts that it's remarkable that they were caught before anybody could get hurt, Madam President breaks down under the stress, inconsolable. The narrator notes that the next day, they see no scientists. This is strange. They visit the President, who is having a tooth pulled and replaced with a pink crystal false tooth. The two have a discussion about the paradox of tolerance, which slightly confuses the narrator. Later, the narrator recieves a call from their home country, but cannot decipher it, as the signal is so poor. A group of scientists gather around the narrator as planes fly overhead, and the sky goes dark. Putting two and two together, the narrator realises that Tranquillity has been bombed, and panics. However, the scientists haul them to safety, and explain that Tranquillity is safe, due to a protective dome shield over the nation. The narrator develops a resentment for their home country and realises that they feel unsafe departing, as tensions outside Tranquillity are so high. The next day, the narrator decides to walk through a small, pretty neighborhood on their way to see the President. They see a black van with the President's Police insignia on the back doors, rapidly making its way through the suburbs. Meanwhile, they ponder if it would be nice to live in Tranquillity, and buy a house or a nice apartment, also debating whether or not there is much of a demand for journalists in Tranquillity. As they reach the President's chamber, they're stopped by guards, who say that Madam President is dealing with a 'client'. Not wanting to miss Madam President on their last day, the narrator slams a fire alarm and finds a hidden door behind a tapestry in the confusion, descending into a mysterious, unknown passageway. They come out in a dark, humid chamber, where several people are grotesquely maimed, including the murderer of the young gay man, and the five wannabe terrorists. The narrator, horrified, finds Madam President sitting on a chair, eating chunks out of a man's shoulder. She continues to take bites out of him as she explains her reasoning - she cannot tolerate intolerance, and that this is cathartic justice. Attempting to argue with her, the narrator seems to give up; the President offers them a job as an Ambassador for Tranquillity, and after some pondering, the narrator takes the dying man's hand, bites into it, and declares that ‘Tranquillity is a utopia indeed!’ Characters * The Narrator. An everyman protagonist; a journalist sent to interview the President of Tranquillity and report on the goings-on. * '''Madam President of Tranquillity. '''A well-intentioned but strange-minded ruler. Believes that there should be no tolerance for intolerance, and that unforgiveable crimes - referred to once as 'grotesqueries' - should be met with extreme punishment. Trivia * The Paradox of Tolerance is a real theory; see here. Category:Written Pieces Category:Rhiannon H works Category:Stories in The Yellow Butterflies